Look Out!

LOOK OUT!

William H. Rehnquist, one of President Nixon's two nominees to the Supreme Court, appeared last month in front of a Senate Subcommittee and strongly advocated limiting search and seizure protection. Rehnquist suggested to the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights on September 14th that courts should not throw out evidence against defendants just because that evidence was obtained illegally.

During his testimony in front of the subcommittee, which was reviewing the Speedy Trial Act of 1971, Rehnquist told Senators that they should give "serious consideration" to rewritten laws to get rid of certain "search and seizure" protections. He specifically criticized court rulings which prevented evidence being introduced in court if that evidence had been obtained through illegal means by police.

Rehnquist further told the Senate panel he was personally convinced that recent opinions by the Supreme Court indicated that the High Court would uphold new limitations on search and seizure protections - as defined in the Fourth Amendment, He cited Chief Justice Warren Burger as a new jurist who would crack down on search and seizure privileges.

:: Earth News